SOUTH CAROLINA

Mark Sanford, the former governor whose career crumbled as he pursued a relationship with an Argentine woman, made official his decision to run for Congress.

WORLDWIDE

Sea piracy fell to five-year low in 2012

World sea piracy fell to its lowest level in five years in 2012, thanks to a huge reduction in Somali piracy. The International Maritime Bureau said 297 attacks were recorded, down from 439 in 2011.

IRAQ

Suicide bombers kill more than 20

At least two car bombs shattered a building housing the local headquarters of the Kurdistan Democratic Party in the restive city of Kirkuk, killing at least 19 people and wounding more than 200. A third bomb at a nearby facility used by Kurdish security forces killed at least four people.

AFGHANISTAN

Suicide bombers attack spy agency

Suicide bombers attacked a compound belonging to Afghanistan's spy agency, killing at least one guard and injuring 33 civilians in a brazen strike at the heavily fortified heart of Kabul.

EGYPT

Morsi says slurs were taken out of context

A spokesman for President Mohammed Morsi said inflammatory comments that he made about Jews had been intended as criticism of Israeli policies toward the Palestinians but had been taken out of context.

SYRIA

Army intensifies northern offensive

Syrian troops stepped up an offensive against rebels in the north following explosions targeting security forces and a university campus that killed more than 100 people in two days. NEWS SERVICES

The president said on Twitter the agency "missed all of the many signals" sent by the suspect in the Florida school shooting and they are "spending too much time trying to prove Russian collusion with the Trump campaign."